Main competencies of future coaches: investigation and effectiveness of development within the tuning project in higher education in China

Abstract Background The purpose of this article is to study the core competencies of future coaches, as well as the effectiveness of their development under the conditions of the Tuning Project in higher education in China. Methods A survey was conducted in three groups using a random sample of participants (96 student-athletes, 29 teachers and 35 employers of the School of Physical Education of Chongqing University) created by the authors to assess 30 competencies included in the Tuning Project and correlations between the groups’ assessments were examined. Results According to the ranking and rating results of 30 competencies included in the Tuning Project, there were significant differences between the answers of these three clusters. The competence “Ability to apply knowledge in practice” had the highest correlation of the results in all the clusters of the respondents (students, teachers, employers) for both importance (0.2976) and effectiveness (0.2845). “Problem-solving skills” – (0.2453) and “Will to succeed” – (0.2152) were the next two competencies that the respondents had rated highly according to the both evaluation criteria. Conclusions This paper can be used for further studies of the Tuning Project in the educational processes of China, in particular, in higher sports education.